Steams Like Old Times
Steams Like Old Times is the 4th episode of the eighth season and 174th overall. Will and Grace host the anniversary of game night with friends but Will brings in an unexpected guest. Jack tells Karen what he thinks of her relationship with Malcolm. Synopsis Clyde Will and Grace throw an anniversary party celebrating the 10th year of their game night with Larry and Ellen, whose husbands could not make it. As they begin, Will brings in Clyde, an elderly gay man he is preparing meals for under the foundation he volunteers in. Sensing Grace's aversion towards strangers, Ellen decides to sit out on a game of Celebrity so Grace will have no choice than to team up with Clyde. Being competitive, Grace becomes frustrated that Clyde does not know any of the celebrities they are supposed to guess. She lashes out in the middle of the game and starts blaming Will for bringing Clyde and ruining the anniversary. Will explains that he brought Clyde because he sees his futures self in him, and feels sorry that he has no one in his life. Clyde overhears this and admits and he is not gay. He mentions that he was once married to a doctor who cheated on him, and he just accepts food from the foundation because it's free. The friends realize that Clyde is more like Grace than Will. Stanley's blessing Karen takes Malcolm and Jack shopping so Jack would see her new boyfriend's "playful, torturey side" and bond. Jack however refuses give Karen his blessing as he still believes she and Stanley belong together even after his betrayal. When Jack goes to meet Stanley at the steam room of his health club, Malcolm barges in and personally asks for Stanley's blessing. When Karen hears that his Stanley easily gave up on her, she is infuriated and confronts him at the steam room. However, as soon as he speaks, Karen runs to him and they finally reconcile. Cast Main * Eric McCormack (Will Truman) * Debra Messing (Grace Adler) * Sean Hayes (Jack McFarland) * Megan Mullally (Karen Walker) Guest * Richard Chamberlain (Clyde) * Alec Baldwin (Malcolm Widmark) * Tim Bagley (Larry) * Leigh-Allyn Baker (Ellen) Notes * Unseen character Stanley "appears" in the episode but he is completely covered by the steam in the steam room. Also, his lines are not heard because of the sound of the steam machine. * The last frame in the opening credits where the main characters sit on the couch was shot on the same day of filming of this episode. * Clyde, whom Will mistakes to be gay, is played by Richard Chamberlain who is openly gay. Cultural references * Jack, unsure of his feelings towards Malcolm dating Karen, tells her he can't wait until Malcolm is her "Malcolm-ex", after the famous activist Malcolm X. * While playing Celebrity, Grace tries to describe a "trashy pop singer" and Clyde wrongly guesses Las Vegas performer Lola Falana. It is implied that Grace is describing Britney Spears when she mentions "Oops, I did it again" as a clue. Spears appears later in the episode Buy Buy Baby. * Jack sings the torch song "Stormy Weather" in the steam room. * Jack claims he has to sing "If I Was A Rich Man" from Fiddler on the Roof when he gets confused between "was" and "were". * Clyde thinks Tom Hanks was the "poor blond boy who froze in the water" in Titanic (1995), which is really Leonardo DiCaprio, as insisted by Grace. * Will's obsession with the white-haired CNN anchor Anderson Cooper is mentioned. He mentions him again during the #VoteHoney video. Media Gettyimages-140698915-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698849-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698912-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698919-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698836-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698895-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698918-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698850-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698883-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698880-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698890-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698892-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698847-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698844-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698841-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698839-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698838-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698837-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698835-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698833-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698828-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698826-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698825-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698868-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698876-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698877-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698878-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698899-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698900-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698911-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698913-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698914-612x612.jpg Gettyimages-140698917-612x612.jpg Quotes Category:Episodes Category:Season 8